My Deer Garden

Plant record · Shrub

Is Stretchberry deer resistant?

Forestiera pubescens

Stretchberry
Damage step 2 of 4 · Seldom Severely Damaged

Mostly. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.

Type
Shrub
Hardiness
Zones 4–9
Light
Full shade to part shade
Height
39–180 in
Bloom
Winter and Spring and Summer
Maintenance
Moderate
Native range
8 US states

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Stretchberry

Twiggy and tough, branching at right angles — hence the local name elbow-bush — with small gray-green leaves that turn chartreuse in fall and petal-less yellow flowers in February that feed the first hairstreaks of the year. Deer mostly ignore it.

Plant one and you will get no berries. Male and female flowers are on separate bushes, and only the females carry the blue-black fruit that is half the reason for growing it, so buy from a nursery that can tell you which is which, and buy more than one.

It will take full sun, part shade or considerably less light than that, and it reaches fifteen feet if you let it. Clipped into a screen it is dense and entirely forgettable; left alone to arch, with the light tan bark showing through, it is a far better plant.

Similar to Stretchberry

Other shrubs with the same deer rating.

Where Stretchberry grows

Hardy across every state on zone range alone, and native to 8 of them. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Native and hardyHardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Stretchberry

Is Stretchberry deer resistant?
Stretchberry (Forestiera pubescens) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged, step 2 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
What hardiness zones does Stretchberry grow in?
Stretchberry is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Stretchberry grow in shade?
Yes. Stretchberry tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
How big does Stretchberry get?
Mature height is roughly 39–180 in. Growth rate is moderate.

Browse from here

Every list Stretchberry belongs to.

All shrubs·Seldom damaged·Shade plants

Hardy in these zones

Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .